Hybridity and Transcultural Motif in the Poetry of A. K. Ramanujan

Abstract

Poetry is the expression of spontaneous feeling of abstract ideas and thoughts. Indian poetry in English was a weapon of freedom struggle in the past for different poets. After independence of India and other colonies, the trend of themes of poetry change as the world become more cosmopolitan and multicultural. Expatriate poets of India and other nations develop a feeling of ‘hybridity’ because they are either considered ‘the other’ in the western hegemonic world, or not accepted in their homeland. This creates ‘in-between identity into them. This ‘in-between’ identity became a curse. They tried to release themselves from that unbroken bond. So they started hunting into the past, tried to connect themselves to the culture of their motherland to sooth the hungry appetite. In the following article I try to find out hybridity and transcultural aspects in the poetry of A. K. Ramanujan, an Indian expatriate poet.